Girl All the Bad Guys Want
by Sir Alwick
Summary: COMPLETE He's big; he's bad, and he's looking to make Raven his main squeeze. BBXRAE
1. Chapter 1

With his brow furrowed in concentration and his tongue sticking unceremoniously out the side of his mouth, Beast Boy rapidly tapped the buttons of the controller, the collection of pixels on the screen in front of him punching, kicking and jumping in accordance with each specific tap.

"Jeez," exclaimed the changeling as he twisted and contorted his body in a way that suggested he thought it made a difference. "These freaking ninjas are everywhere."

So engrossed was the young man with his game that he failed to notice the sound of the common room doors swishing open behind him. He also failed to notice the unhappy look on his girlfriend's face as she entered.

"Gar, I thought we were going to the bookstore," said Raven with her hands on her hips.

"We are, we are," replied the changeling, standing up on the couch and increasing his button taps. "In a minute. Just one more hoard of spider-ninjas and I'll have rescued the princess."

Raven cocked an eyebrow.

"Rescued the princess," she said incredulously. "Is that really what these games are about?"

"Well…that's what this one's about."

"That is ridiculous."

"What do you mean?" exclaimed Beast Boy in disbelief. "This is classic hero stuff I'm doing right here."

"Gar, you do _real_ hero stuff all the time."

"Yeah, but I never got to rescue a princess."

Raven sighed. She loved Beast Boy with all her heart, and she probably knew him better than she knew anybody, but still there were things about him that she felt she'd never understand.

"Aw come on, babe," said Beast Boy, balancing on one foot. "This is classic videogame lore. The brave hero travels a great distance, slaying droves of bloodthirsty monsters along the way, to eventually arrive at a castle and rescue the kidnapped prin…AWWW!"

Beast Boy's explanation abruptly ended when a flaming shuriken beheaded his on screen character. Dejected, he dropped back down to a sitting position on the couch and rested his chin in his hand. Once the character's death animation was complete, the screen was filled with the image of a beautiful blonde haired woman in a pink dress and sparkling crown.

"Please, you must help me," she begged in a sickeningly pathetic voice. "You can't let the evil Dr. Dastardly win."

Raven stared at the computer rendered image in disbelief. Who came up with this drek?

"Wow, that's pathetic," said Raven, disgusted. "She looks like she's in pretty decent shape, why doesn't she rescue herself?"

"Cause that's not how the game works," replied Beast Boy matter-of-factly. "And besides, you mean to tell me you've never thought about what it would be like to be rescued by a dashing young man in shining armor?"

"No," said Raven, her voice flat and dry.

"Not even a handsome green one?" asked Beast Boy, turning to the empath and waggling his eyebrows.

Raven smirked.

"Love the effort, Gar, but no, I never have. In life, you can't always expect someone to come rescue you, you need to be able to help yourself."

Beast Boy shook his head in a kind of mock disappointment.

"Ah you're no fun," he said, giving her a disregarding wave of his hand.

"Give the man a prize, he figured it out," she responded, rolling her eyes. "Now are we going to the bookstore like YOU suggested or not?"

A sting of victory music on the TV screen suddenly grabbed Beast Boy's attention.

"Hey, an extra life," he exclaimed excitedly. "Just…just let me try one more time."

With that, Beast Boy returned his full attention to the TV screen and resumed his mad button pressing.

Raven crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the changeling.

"Fine, I'll just go by myself," she snapped turning around in a huff.

Picking up on her unhappiness, Beast Boy realized that he was once again at one of life's all too infamous man-crossroads; this one being the love of his life vs. beating level ten. Each carried their own benefits and penalties, and a decision had to be made fast.

"Raven, wait," said the changeling after a second or two of weighing his options. "I'm coming," he said, turning off the console and rushing over to join her.

"It's okay, Gar," said Raven, her eyes closed in indifference, and still walking forward. "Stay and play your videogame."

Raven's angry girlfriend march was abruptly cut off when she felt Beast Boy's arms wrap around her waist and his body press against her back.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "You know I wouldn't pass up spending time with you for some videogame, right?"

"If you say so," she replied dryly.

"Aw, don't be like that," said Beast Boy with a small smile as he gently placed his face in the crook of her neck.

Raven felt chills shoot up and down her spine, and her whole body go weak as Beast Boy began placing small kisses across her collarbone. Slowly, she turned her head to the side, and her lips met his in soft but powerful kiss. After pulling away she looked deep into his eyes and felt all her previous anger drift away.

"Damn you for being so good at that," she said smirking.

Beast Boy chuckled, and arm in arm, the two exited the common room.

* * *

The blue, alien guards crumpled helpless to the floor after violently colliding with the wall. Ignoring the moans of pain eminating from the wounded, their assailant simply walked past , his large, black, leather boots making a dull thumping noise against the wood floorboards of the old house.

Just a few rooms away, Boss Zede Ro, planet Vendi's most affluent mob boss, was in a panic. With combat raging throughout his house, the fat, alien crime lord had retreated to his bedroom and was more or less just hoping not to be found.

"You two, watch that door," he said to his final two remaining henchmen. "See that he don't get in."

No sooner had Zede finished his sentence than the man in question smashed the wooden entrance to splinters. Upon seeing the hulking thug looming menacingly in the doorway, the bodyguards opened fire. Their rifle blasts; however, were completely ineffectual as the rays simply bounced harmlessly off the man's muscular chest.

"Hey that feels pretty good," he laughed in a deep, gritty voice. "Do you think you could do my back too?" he added turning around and pointing with his thumb.

The guards widened their three eyes in panic, and immediately jumped out the nearest window, figuring no job was worth this.

"Come back here, you cowards," cried Boss Zede out one of the windows. "I'll get you all for this."

After a few more idle threats, the mob boss turned around to find the intruder bearing down on him, his red eyes burning holes into the chubby Zede's body.

"Boss Zede," he said. "Long time no see. You know I probably don't need to tell you this, but you need some better security. I'd barely broken a sweat by the time I was done poundin those geeks."

"Wh-what do you want?" stammered Zede, petrified.

"Aw what do you want to get to business right away for?" whined the large, pale thug. "Can't we at least have a drink first?"

Swallowing, Boss Zede nodded frantically, the tiny tentacles on his blue head swaying back and forth as he did so. He made his way to his mini bar where he shakily poured two glasses of liquor and then returned only to have the glasses crudely knocked out of his hands.

"Alright, enough of the pleasantries," spat the brute, grabbing Zede by the collar of his lounge jacket. "Word on the street is you know where a fellah like me can find Jendy the Squeeb. So, my question to you is are you gonna talk or are we gonna find out how many of your own teeth you can swallow before you get sick?"

Thoroughly terrified, and knowing enough about the Czarnians reputation to know he always carried through on his threats, Zede spilled everything he knew about Jendy, concluding with his exact coordinates.

"Huh, those numbers sound familiar," said the intruder, scratching his main of wild black hair. After a moment of pondering, realization came to him. "Thanks Zede," he said with a wicked smile before hurling the mob boss through the doors of his walk in closet.

Placing his thumb and index fingers inside his mouth, the man gave a whistle. Right on cue, his trusty rocket propelled motorcycle came crashing though the only unbroken window. It skidded to a halt in front of him where, in one fluid motion, he mounted it.

"Looks like the main man's heading back to Earth."


	2. Chapter 2

Jane Smith let out a groan as once again she spotted her coworker, Johnny, begin making his way towards her cubicle. It had been about two months since her transfer to the Jump City branch of her accounting firm, and in that time the guy had asked her out she didn't know how many times. He was so seedy and creepy, she was certain there was no way he was human.

"Hello there, Janey," said Johnny, sitting on her desk and giving her the smarmiest of smiles. "That is a nice lookin skirt you got there."

"Thanks," she replied flatly.

"Yeah, it really highlights your legs. Do you work out or something?"

Before Jane could give her usual flaming rejection, the office was thrown into a panic as one of the large office windows suddenly shattered. Glass flew through the air as men and women alike screamed in confusion. And amidst the chaos, soaring about the office aboard a flying motorcycle was the main man himself: Lobo, the baddest bounty hunter in the entire galaxy.

"Yeah, yeah I know it's exciting to see a big star, but I'm here on business," said Lobo hopping down from his ride and pulling out a giant alien looking rifle.

The initial surprise of the incident had died down and now everyone in the workspace just stared in disbelief.

"Now," he continued. "Which one of you geeks is Jendy the Squeeb?"

The office remained stone silent.

"Okay," said Lobo furrowing his brow. "Well, I know he's here, so I guess I'll just have to frag everybody to be sure."

Lobo raised his rifle to the group, eliciting a multitude of panicked gasps and cries. After a moment of excruciating tension, the biker began laughing.

"Just kidding," he said with a cruel smile.

He then began making his way across the room, everyone even remotely in his path clearing out, until finally he stopped just in front of the smarmy Johnny.

"Hey there, Jendy," he said as Johnny cowered against the wall. The terrified man attempted a reply but could only managed a few terrified squeaks.

"Cut the crap, I know it's you," said the bounty hunter, resting his rifle on his shoulder. "I can smell your Glaglorian stink."

With lightning quick speed, the Czarnian roughly grabbed Johnny by his collar, lifting him in the air, and gave him a few mean open hand slaps across the face. Johnny's face weirdly contorted with each blow until after one final strike, he reverted to his original form. Shrinking roughly two feet, his nose and ears disappeared; his eyes became solid black and his skin turned a sick, yellowish color.

"Lobo," the newly revealed Jendy managed to squeal. "Wha-what are you doing here?"

Lobo smirked at Jendy's attempt at innocence.

"Those old friends of yours, The Black Quasar Gang, they didn't appreciate you ripping them off on that last job. They're offering a really pretty price to whoever brings you in."

"Lobo," gasped Jendy, fully realizing the severity of his situation. "You gotta listen to me-"

"And they also don't particularly care what condition you're in when you arrive," added Lobo, leveling his rifle between Jendy's eyes, and causing the petrified alien to gulp loudly.

* * *

Hunched over and gravitating ever closer to the TV screen in front of him, Cyborg rapidly tapped the buttons of the controller as his onscreen character slew ninja after ninja.

"Ya'll done messed with the wrong space cowboy," he exclaimed loudly as his character decimated a whole group of them using his special attack.

When Cyborg had turned on the Gamestation this morning he had checked Beast Boy's save file to see how far along in the game he was. To Cyborg's shock, Beast Boy was dangerously close to completing the game, and if he had done so, it would mean that for the first time ever Beast Boy would have beaten a game before him.

"No way in hell Green Bean's going to beat the Alien Roach King before me," he proclaimed to the empty room. "I'm gonna be the one who rescues that princess."

And Cyborg was getting ever closer to doing just that. The end boss was in sight, and with this final battle completed Cyborg would once again claim dominance over videogamedom in the tower. Unfortunately, the titan alarm had other plans.

Cyborg's jaw hit the floor as the monitor in front of him abruptly cut out, replacing his game with a flashing, red "Alert" message.

"Aw you gotta be kidding me!" he griped loudly as the tower's alarms blared. "Someone is gonna pay dearly for this."

As expected, within seconds Nightwing was standing in the doorway to the common room.

"Come on Cyborg, trouble."

"Yeah, yeah," groaned Cyborg in response.

"Where's Beast Boy and Raven?" asked Nightwing after a brief survey of the room.

* * *

"You know I'd always be there to rescue you if you were in trouble," said Beast Boy smiling as he stared at Raven from across the small table. After Raven perused the new arrivals and Beast Boy got an eyeful of the graphic novels section, the two had decided to get something from the café that adjoined the bookstore. Beast Boy's ever present trait of never being able to let things go once again had them addressing the princess issue.

"I know you would, Gar," replied Raven stirring her tea as her eyes remained focused on her book. "But I assure you, I'm no princess who needs looking after."

"Would you feel any different if I told you you're a princess to me?"

Raven's eyes softened as she gazed at the changeling.

"Oh Gar," she said sweetly before returning to her usual stoic self. "No, I wouldn't."

Beast Boy crossed his arms indignantly, but said nothing as Raven returned to her book. After rereading the line she had left off on, she was once again pulled out of her story, this time by the sound of her ringing communicator.

"Yes," she said calmly after removing the device from her belt.

"Raven," came Nightwing's voice. "Where are you?"

"At the bookstore with Gar."

"Beast Boy's there too? Why didn't he answer his communicator?"

Raven gave a questioning look to Beast Boy.

"I thought silence was like a rule in book places," said Beast Boy, chuckling nervously. "So I turned it off."

Raven could only roll her eyes at her boyfriend's thickness.

"Whatever," said Nightwing. "There's trouble down town. Follow our signal and meet us there."

Not wasting a second, the two quickly hurried out the door.

* * *

People came flooding out of the office building in panicked droves as laser blasts and explosions rang throughout the structure. Passersby were shocked when suddenly they saw the alien Jendy come smashing through one of the building's high up windows and begin plummeting to the ground. Several horrified screams were heard as the creature splattered against the asphalt. Confused gasps were added to the mix as, almost like a tape being played backwards, the stain on the ground quickly returned to humanoid form.

Jendy taking in rapid, terrified breaths pulled himself to his feet and made an attempt at running only to be suddenly smashed into the ground as Lobo's massive form came crashing down on him from high atop the building.

"Those were some fancy moves you pulled back there Squeeb, but you ain't getting away this time," said Lobo grinding his boot into Jendy's back.

The sound of sirens suddenly caught Lobo's attention, and several police cruisers soon greeted him.

"Freeze!" commanded one officer as he and the rest of his squad exited their vehicles with their weapons drawn. "Let me see your hands."

Lobo smiled.

"Is there a problem, officer?" he asked innocently.

"Put your hands on the vehicle in front of you," commanded the officer.

"You're the boss," said Lobo walking over to one of the cruisers. Once there, he drove his hands swiftly down on the hood of the vehicle, sending it front flipping through the air. Quickly drawing his rifle, he fired a blast at the vehicle, obliterating it and causing flaming metallic debris to come crashing down over the immediate area. The police ran for cover as Lobo laughed mockingly.

"Now for my next trick, I'm going to make a frag-ton of money," said Lobo, snatching Jendy up by the neck. With a whistle, Lobo's space hog came rushing up to him, but before he could make his escape, a fast approaching T-Car caught his attention. He watched as, after skidding to a dramatic halt, a battle ready Nightwing, Starfire and Cyborg quickly exited the vehicle.

"Hold it right there," commanded Nightwing. "I don't know who you are, but no one shoots up my city without facing the consequences."

"That's right," added Cyborg enthusiastically. "So why don't you drop that…uh…whatever that thing is and surrender."

Tension filled the air as Lobo made no move to comply, but instead just sat staring at the three Titan's.

"Didn't you hear him?" shouted Nightwing. "Surrender!"

"Make me," said Lobo, smiling.

The preliminaries were over.

"Titan's go!"


	3. Chapter 3

There were few moments in Nightwing's long career as a costumed hero where he would admit that a battle seemed futile. No matter how the odds were stacked against him, he would always maintain that victory was possible; it was just a matter of finding a way. With Lobo; however, it was becoming more apparent with each passing second that, so long as it was only he, Starfire and Cyborg, winning might not be in their future.

Lobo laughed as another volley of exploding birdarangs collided with his thick Czarnian hide. Nightwing had resorted to his bag of trick gadgets since earlier in the battle, the black clad hero had executed a spinning kick to the brutish Lobo's jaw and it had damn near broken his foot, and a blow from his bo staff afterwards had only succeeded in bending the staff. Still, he found nothing he used did any real damage to the thug.

With ease, Lobo lifted a nearby car and sent it hurdling towards Nightwing. The young man managed to flip out of harms way in time; however, he hadn't counted on Lobo drawing a pistol and igniting the gas tank of the vehicle with a well-placed shot. The resulting explosion sent the masked man careening into a wall, knocking him senseless.

"You can't prance around forever, geek." He mocked. "You gotta fight like a man some time."

Lobo's jesting was abruptly cut off when a furious Starfire delivered a stiff shot to the pale biker's jaw, sending him stumbling backwards. After finding his balance again, Lobo gave the Tameranean a sadistic smile.

"Ouch," he said sarcastically. With incredible speed, he raced forward and leveled the red haired women with a blow that sent her bouncing backwards down the street.

After watching the Tameranean skid to a halt, Lobo redirected his gaze upward where Jendy the Squeeb was still struggling to unknot his limbs from around a streetlight.

"How ya doin up there, Jendy," called the bounty hunter. "Those knots aren't too tight, are they?"

"Lobo, I swear I'll make it worth your while if you let me go," pleaded Jendy as he pulled and tugged at his mass of tangled limbs.

"Sorry, Jendy," replied Lobo. "But I gave Boss Splek my word, and the main man never goes back on his word."

"Well isn't that noble of you," came Cyborg voice as he collided his titanium fist with the back of Lobo's head, sending the bounty hunter stumbling forward a few steps.

"Nice one," said Lobo, rubbing his neck. "Attacking while my back was turned." He turned and faced Cyborg, placing his hands on his hips. "And here I thought all you superjerks were just a bunch of rule crazy boy scouts."

"I take my chances when I get them," shot Cyborg, who quickly raised his arm canon and launched a devastating blast and the biker, sending him skidding back several yards.

Smoldering slightly, the brutish bounty hunter dusted himself off and placed his hands back on his hips.

"Is that it?" he asked mockingly.

Cyborg grit his teeth in aggravation.

"You wanna see what I got?" yelled the metallic man.

"You got it, cream puff," returned Lobo placing a finger on his chin. "Right here, come on."

The arrogant biker was really wearing on Cyborg's nerves, and the bionic hero wanted nothing more than to shut him up. After throwing a few switches, Cyborg's canon hummed with newfound life as it powered up to maximum capacity. The bionic hero gave a cold glare at the cocky Lobo, steadied his aim and fired.

The blast that came forth was almost a foot in diameter, and glowed so brightly it was almost blinding. Lobo brought his forearms to rest in front of his face just before the beam hit. The force of the beam sent him sliding back, but the biker still remained on his feet. Cyborg seeing this kept up the pressure. He began internally redirecting power reserves, putting everything he had into the blast. The glow intensified and Lobo's image was lost. Though Cyborg could not tell if he felled the biker, he continued the pressure of the blast. He would not be taking any chances. Finally, after nearly thirty seconds of energy expulsion, Cyborg's reserves dried up and he dropped to his knees, exhausted.

Breathing heavily, the tired young man chanced a look up at his opponent. To his greatest disappointment, he found Lobo still standing with the only real damage seeming to be slight burns to his forearms.

Again the biker dusted himself off and placed his hands on his hips.

"Is that it?" he asked.

Cyborg struggled to his feet, but was quickly sent flying back to the ground by a massive uppercut from Lobo.

"Chumps," spat the bounty hunter.

He was ready to make his exit when an enraged Starfire once again assaulted him. The furious Tameranean screamed like a woman possessed as she laid into the brutish man with lefts and rights, burned him with eye blasts, and pummeled him with star bolts. However, all these blows would prove to be no more useful than before as Lobo simply absorbed every bit of punishment, smiling the whole way.

Finally when Starfire slowed, he made his move, grabbing the woman by her wrists and twisting her arms behind her back.

"You know I gotta admit, cup cake, I'm impressed," said Lobo as Starfire struggled against his iron grip. "Any girl that can take a punch like that is okay in my book." The biker then gave the Tameranean a once over. "But don't read too much into that, doll face. Broads that look like you are a dime a dozen in this universe."

Just as Lobo was about to send the helpless Tameranean flying, a cold, yet strangely appealing voice caught his attention.

"Let her go," it commanded.

Lobo craned his neck in the direction of the voice, fully expecting another do-gooder wanting to put a stop to him…and of course he was right, but nevertheless he was still struck speechless by what he saw.

At first, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Right before him, descending from the sky was without a doubt the most incredibly beautiful woman he'd ever seen in all his years of hanging and banging. Her pale skin had an almost angelic glow, her serious, violet eyes possessed a strong yet beautiful quality, and her black skintight attire sensually outlined every one of her pretty curves; she was a woman of goddess like quality. She was virtually irresistible. Her beauty was of such an astounding nature, Lobo found it difficult to find a way to express his admiration.

"Feetel's gizz, what a babe!"

But he quickly found one.

"Huh?" said Raven, arching an eyebrow.

Quickly tossing Starfire aside, the infatuated Lobo bounded over to the empath in the blink of an eye. Taking a casual stance, leaning against a light post, Lobo gave the Azerathean a toothy grin.

"Hey there, sweet thing, you come around here often?"

Raven could only scrunch her eyes in confusion as Lobo leered at her.

"Um, excuse me?"

He leaned in closer to her.

"I like that little outfit ya got on there," he said winking. "Black and blue looks really good on you. Way better than it does on the chumps I usually meet. Get it?" The bounty hunter began laughing obnoxiously. "Cause I beat geeks up for a living."

Raven chuckled nervously. For the first time in her life, she honestly had no idea what to do. Nothing even remotely like this had ever happened to her. She had arrived fully prepared to go head to head with some overpowered super freak, but instead said super freak was actaully hitting on her and making really weird small talk.

Beast Boy, who had arrived with Raven, but was being thoroughly ignored, was equally confused. Before he had the chance to say some cool heroic line or make a witty observation, this goth-rock guy had started moving in on his girlfriend.

"Hey dude," he yelled to Lobo's back. "This isn't how the hero/villain exchange is supposed to go."

With ridiculous speed, the brutish Lobo delivered a no-look backhand to the changeling, sending him tumbling along the pavement.

"Beast Boy!" cried Raven. Her confusion quickly faded away and was replaced instead with righteous anger. "You just made a big mistake," she said, her eyes glowing a brilliant white.

Lobo was far from intimidated.

"Oh yeah?" he said with a smirk.

Summoning her powers, she delivered a massive dark energy push to the bounty hunter that sent him soaring through the air, and eventually through the side of a building with a massive boom. After watching Lobo collide with the structure, Raven immediately went to check on Beast Boy's condition.

"Gar, are you okay," she asked, looking down on him with concern shining in her violet eyes.

"Dude," moaned the changeling, sitting up and rubbing his jaw. "What's up with that guy?"

"Probably a lot of things," replied Raven, glad to see he was alright. Slowly she helped him to his feet.

"Where did he go?" he asked.

"If he knows what's good for him, far away."

"That was a pretty nifty trick, sweet cheeks," came Lobo's gruff voice from behind the empath.

"So of course he didn't do that," continued Raven dryly. Turning she spotted Lobo making his way towards her, the same goofy grin on his face from before.

"Look, dude," shot Beast Boy, suddenly very angry. "I don't know who you are, but I don't like the way you're talking to my girlfriend."

Raven, suspecting Beast Boy might be digging himself a hole he wouldn't be able to get out of, decided to intervene.

"Gar," she whispered. "I sense a lot of power coming from him and he has no fear of using it. I think it's best if you reign in the stupid macho antics."

"It's okay, Rave, I got this," whispered Beast Boy before turning his attention back to Lobo. "I think you should apologize."

Lobo only laughed.

"She was never your girlfriend, shrimp," said the thug. "You were just keeping her warm for me."

Beast Boy clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He had met a lot of jerks in his life, but this guy was the absolute worst. Without another word, the changeling quickly shifted into a ferocious tiger and leapt at the biker, snarling and snapping.

Lobo; however, could not be taken down so simply. With incredible ease he halted Beast Boy's attack, holding him at arms length, and preventing the beast from laying a paw on him.

"Cute," said Lobo before looking to Raven. "Does it do anything else?"

"Put him down," shot Raven, angrily.

Lobo smiled and turned back to the snarling tiger in his hands.

"Sorry, kitty, but we can't keep you. You'll have to find another home."

With no effort whatsoever, Lobo tossed the cat over his head, sending it high into the air before crashing into a stack of garbage cans in an alley across the street.

"Now where we're we," he said, dusting off his hands.

"Right about here," sneered Raven before seizing Lobo within the confines of her dark energy.

"Woah," exclaimed Lobo. "Kinky."

Ignoring his comment, Raven began sending the enamored Lobo crashing head first into every flat surface around him. She drove him into walls, bent him against light posts, and finished by driving him head first over and over into the ground. After the umpteenth time of the biker's skull colliding with the pavement, the demoness released her hold. Dropping to her knees, she took in big gulps of air, dead tired from overexerting herself.

"You are one awesome chick," said Lobo after a few seconds of lying motionless on the ground.

"You've got to be kidding me," wheezed Raven as she watched the thug get back to his feet. Before she could mount another offense, he was suddenly at her side, wrapping her up in his arms.

"You know," he said. "You're the kind of broad, I could see myself spending three or four years of my life with."

"Lucky me," bemoaned Raven. She weakly attempted an escape, but Lobo's grip was far too strong, and she was having troulbe focusing enough to conjure her powers.

Still holding the dark woman in his grasp, Lobo walked across the street.

Jendy had finally managed to free himself from the light post and was ready to make a run for it when Lobo suddenly snatched him up by the throat.

"Say, Jendy, something's come up, so I'm going to be busy for a while," he said pulling out a crude electronic device and fashioning it to Jendy's jelly like flesh. "Why don't you hang out for a while, and I'll come back for you later."

With that, Lobo sent the alien hurdling through the air with a mighty toss that had him landing some where far outside the city. The bounty hunter then whistled for his bike and quickly saddled up.

"What's going on?" spat Raven.

Lobo gave the woman a devious smile.

"I think it's about time you and me went on our first date."


	4. Chapter 4

As the ringing in his ears faded away and darkness gave way to light, Nightwing began to slowly pull himself back to his feet. During one of the moments where he was on the edge of consciousness, he could have sworn he saw the thuggish Lobo riding off with Raven and saying something about a…date? That couldn't be right. Surveying the area, he quickly spotted Cyborg and Starfire coming to as well.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked, though he was already certain what the answer would be.

"Alright?" answered Cyborg. "Other than the fact that I'm totally drained and was completely shamed by some reject from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, yeah I'm alright."

"That man was a royal Zarbnarf," griped Starfire, loudly. "In all my life, I have never met someone so…so…RUDE!"

Nightwing could only nod in response. Defeat wasn't something the Titans dealt with often, and when it did happen, it was never a good feeling.

"Did Raven and B ever show up?" asked Cyborg after checking his vitals and doing an initial sweep of the area.

Right on cue, a banging sound from an alley a few feet away caught the three Titan's attention. They turned in time to see a very angry looking Beast Boy stomping his way out to the street, brushing random pieces of garbage off his uniform and kicking trash cans out of his way as he walked.

"Lousy, stupid, eyeliner wearing gorilla," muttered the changeling to himself.

"Beast Boy," cried Starfire, flying over to him. "We are relieved to see you are unharmed."

Too caught up in his own inner turmoil, Beast Boy either didn't notice the Tameranean or chose to ignore her.

"You don't do it!" he shouted suddenly. "Its like one of the rules or something. You don't just show up, and get all up in people's business, and ride off with some other dude's girlfriend on your space motorcycle."

Seething with nerd rage, the changeling began pacing back and forth, only stopping periodically to kick at the ground or swing angrily at the air.

Starfire looked at the display with confusion.

"I am afraid I do not understand."

"That jock freak," continued the aggravated shape shifter, still in his own world. "He just strolls up like he's all cool and stuff, and he's all "You come around here often? That looks good on you" like who hasn't heard that before?"

"Yo, B, calm down, man," said Cyborg with his hands passively raised. "What happened?"

"Oh, I'll tell you what happened," replied the green man, finally calming down enough to acknowledge his team. "That leather bar hopping sasquatch just strolled up out of nowhere and started hitting on Raven. He treats me like a football, and then takes off with MY girlfriend."

"Took Raven?" said Cyborg. "Took Raven where?"

"On a date," answered Nighwing.

The team turned questioningly to their leader.

"I thought I was just imagining things, but it would seem our new friend has…well…he's taken Raven on a...a date.

Beast Boy clenched his fists in anger and snarled viciously.

"Against her will of course," added the masked hero quickly, not wanting to further exacerbate the changeling's already foul mood.

"So what should we do now?" asked Starfire.

"What do you mean?" replied Beast Boy. "We go after them. I'm going to free the beast all over that jerkwad's stupid face."

"No," Nightwing said firmly.

Beast Boy turned to the man, a shocked expression on his face.

"I'm sorry Beast Boy. I know how you must feel, but that wouldn't do any good. None of us were even close to a match for this guy, and if we hope to beat him next time we need to be prepared."

"But he's got Raven," pleaded Beast Boy, legitimate concern showing in his eyes. "And who knows where he's taken her. They could be off the planet by now."

Quickly, Cyborg punched a few keys on his wrist panel, resulting in a few, short beeping noises. After studying the information displayed on the screen he came to a realization.

"Actually…"

* * *

"Ugh, can't you at least shower every once and a while?" groaned Raven.

"Ooh, harsh," said Lobo with a cheeky grin. "You got a lot of bite in you. I like that."

Raven sighed and placed her face in her hand.

"Why can't you just try and kill me like a normal villain?" she whined.

Lobo gave the empath a wide grin.

"Ah, we'll save the fun stuff for later," he said as he began taking the bike in for a landing. "First things first, let's get some grub."

Since her powers had initially proved ineffective, and since for the moment no one was in any real danger, Raven decided that for the time being she would go along with the barbaric bikers infatuation with her, and hope that perhaps an opportunity to take him down would present itself at some point. However, she was quickly realizing that this was easier said than done. Being forced to ride in the lap of the biker as he took her who knows where was bad enough, but the horrible stench radiating off of him was making her long for the days when Beast Boy never cleaned up his room.

As the bike landed, Raven was surprised to see the entrance to Chez Pierre, the most prominent French restaurant in the city, before her.

"Here?" said Raven questioningly.

"Yeah, looks real fancy and stuff, right?" answered Lobo. "Let it be known that the main man is all about class."

Calmly, the main man approached the front entrance and swiftly ripped the door off it's hinges.

"Heads up puke bags, we got a real lady coming in here," he barked to the patrons inside before turning to Raven, and making a bowing motion.

"After you."

Raven groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. She could tell right away this was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever do.

* * *

After Lobo manhandled the maitre d' and the two of them took their seat, Raven realized she was one hundered and fifty percent correct. Lobo's "company" was by far worst thing she'd ever experienced, and that's saying a lot. After only a few minutes of the brute regaling her with tales of his "most heinous, frag-filled" bounty exploits, she decided she'd had enough.

"Would you excuse me?" she said in the most polite voice possible. "I need to go to the restroom."

"Hey, when nature calls, you gotta answer." replied Lobo.

The empath rolled her eyes.

"But hurry back though," added the biker. "I'm getting to the best part. I use the guys head as a- Never mind I'll wait until you get back."

"Can't wait," replied Raven, sarcastically.

The plan was to teleport away as soon as she was out of sight; however, she had no sooner turned her back than she heard Lobo's gruff voice call out to her.

"Oh, one more thing."

Raven turned back just in time to see the biker roughly snap a strange looking collar around her neck. After pressing a button on a remote device, the collar then beeped to life.

"What the hell is this?" said the dark woman angrily.

"Just a little insurance policy to make sure you come back," replied Lobo putting the remote back in his jacket pocket.

"Insurance policy?"

"Yeah, I got kinda tired of dates walking out on me before the check, so now I make'em wear this little explosive collar."

Raven's eyes widened at the word "explosive."

"Yup, and that casing is Nth metal too; nearly unbreakable and completely resistant to magic." The Czarnian gave a small chuckle. "I had to frag like 50 Thanagarians before I finally got some. No need to worry though," he said reassuringly. "Cause I _know_ you weren't thinking of ditching me, right?"

Raven leveled an icy glare the smiling Czarnian.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she replied coldly.

* * *

'So much for that plan,' Raven thought to herself as she leaned against the sink in the restroom. Turning she began examining the collar in the mirror. It turned out Lobo had been telling the truth. All attempts at disabling the collar using her powers had been unsuccessful; every attempt only resulted in the black tendrils of energy bouncing off the exterior of the device. She was contemplating other ways to remove the object when her communicator began to ring.

"Hello, happiest girl in the world speaking," she said dryly.

The image on the tiny screen of the communicator crackled with life, and soon the empath was greeted by Nightwing's ever serious face. In the background, Beast Boy could clearly be seen pacing back and forth, an irritable expression adoring his face.

"Raven, are you okay?" asked Nightwing.

"Oh I'm just peachy," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"What's the situation?"

"I'm at the Chez Pierre restaurant being forced to spend time with the most irritating man in the galaxy. What's YOUR situation?"

Nightwing, a little taken back by Raven's response, stuttered a little before answering.

"Listen, I…uh…won't make this awkward for you, so I'll just tell you we're going to the tower to get some things, and we'll be back for you as soon as possible. In the mean time just keep him busy."

"Excuse me?" said Raven arching an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean," replied Nightwing, blushing slightly.

Before the signal cut out, Beast Boy's face suddenly filled the screen.

"And you tell that mustached muscle-head to keep his filthy mitts to himself."

Once the screen went black, Raven deactivated the device and reattached it to her belt. So she was supposed to just wait around for her team to come and get her? Not a chance. Getting an idea she boldly marched back to the table where Lobo sat waiting.

"Hey, babe," he said nonchalantly. "Good to see you again.

"Likewise," droned Raven as she sat down.

"Now where was I? Oh yeah! So I'm punching this guy, right? Meanwhile-

As Lobo continued his asinine story, complete with grand and dramatic gestures, Raven placed her hand on the table and slowly raised it to the man in front of her. Conjuring her powers, she created an air tight dome around the biker's head. In a matter of minutes he'd be unconscious from oxygen depravation, she'd get the remote to the collar and it'd be all over. At least that was the plan.

Minutes passed as Lobo, completely unaware of the dome, soundlessly continued his story. After a while it became apparent that the thug didn't even notice the lack of oxygen as he continued pantomiming scenes of brutality and carnage. Out of curiosity, Raven removed the dome.

"-explosions are going off all over the place, and all I got is-" continued Lobo, obliviously.

She then put the dome back up for a moment before removing it again.

"-and the kids are screaming, "Ahh help us, help us," and I'm just laughing-"

Raven put the dome back and sighed heavily to herself before resting her head in her hands. This was going to be a long day.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: For those who may not know, I did not make up Lobo. He's a DC comics character just ike the Titans are. Just wanted to clear up any confusion._

With one final clunking noise, the last attachment was in place and Cyborg was ready to go. His footsteps, now possessing an even deeper sound then usual, echoed through the hall as he made his way to the battle prep room. As he entered, he found Nightwing standing before a block of computer monitors with his arms folded across his chest.

"How's it going in here," asked Cyborg aloud as he entered.

After giving one final look-over at the monitors, Nightwing turned to face the newly enhanced Cyborg.

"The suits still need some time before they'll be fully combat ready.

The bionic man gave some thought to the situation before responding.

"Well, I can't just sit around here waiting," he said before turning and making for the exit.

Over the years, Nightwing had learned that even though the Titan's were his team, it was important to allow them the chance to find their own identity as individual heroes as well. Still, he had his concerns whenever one of them went off on their own.

"Cyborg, wait," called Nightwing. "Are you sure you want to face this guy on your own?"

The metal man stopped in his tracks and threw a serious look over his shoulder.

"He called me creampuff," he said coldly, his voice dripping with silent anger.

A small sigh escaped Nightwings lips.

"Just be careful out there, the rest of us will join you as soon as we can."

Without another word, Cyborg continued his march to the exit. On his way out he passed by Beast Boy sitting before a massive computer monitor. A look of pure determination adorned the changeling's face as he studied the images that flashed across the screen and read the text that accompanied them. Cyborg had never seen his friend so focused.

"You commin, B?" asked Cyborg.

Beast Boy said nothing, and instead remained transfixed on the task before him.

Nodding his head in silent understanding, Cyborg continued on his way.

* * *

Raven buried her face in her hand for what must have been the hundredth time that day as Lobo let out another fit of loud, obnoxious laughter. After dinner, which mainly consisted of inappropriate stories about Lobo's bounty hunting and sexual prowess, and concluded with him spitting a mouthful of wine and caviar into a helpless waiter's face before putting him through a table WWE style, it was decided that the next leg of their "date" should be a movie.

Initially the idea of a movie hadn't seemed like such a bad thing to Raven, who was growing more and more agitated by the minute, thinking it might mean the bounty hunter would actually be silent for a while. However, Lobo's insufferable laughter, which reverberated throughout the theatre every five seconds, quickly destroyed that theory. The whole situation was made infinitely worse by the fact that they weren't watching a comedy, but rather a film about World War II, and on top of everything else, she was finding that the Nth metal of the collar was reacting strangely with her body chemistry and was making it increasingly more difficult to summon any of her powers. After Lobo's irritating laughter once again filled the theatre, driving out the rest of the patrons, Raven could finally take no more.

"Trigondammit all, will you shut the hell up?" she screamed loudly.

Lobo laughter ceased as he turned his attention to the furious violet haired woman next to him.

"What's that?" he asked, the slightest bit of anger coating his voice.

"You heard me," snarled the empath. "Shut your fat, boozy mouth, you imbecilic, trash spewing waste of life! Is it so much to ask that you shut up for a while or are you just too stupid to understand the concept of silence?"

For a moment, the biker simply sat in a state of shock as Raven simply crossed her arms and fumed in her seat. Then a smile creped it's way across his mustached covered lips.

"Aw yeah," he exclaimed. "Talk bad to me. Treat me like scum. No dame has the guts to talk to the main man like that. It's so fragging hot!"

Raven let out an exasperated sigh. There was just nothing she could do to drive this guy away.

"Come on," he continued. "Give me more."

"More?" said Raven, and suddenly she had an idea. "You like pain? Abuse?"

Lobo nodded his head, while giving the demoness an excited grin.

"Alright," continued Raven, reaching out and taking the bounty hunter's head in both hands. "Then take a full dose."

Using all of her willpower, she conjured all the power she could muster, and dove deeply into Lobo's mind, immediately seeking out and bringing to the forefront every painful memory she could possibly find. She forced Lobo to confront the faces of his victims, and feel all of their sorrow and anger. She showed him horror after horror, even going so far as to implant some of her own tortured memories. She was going to bring this so-called thug to his knees, and make him beg her to stop.

When she finally released his mind, Lobo's face was blank.

"What do you have to say now, tough guy," shot Raven, crossing her arms.

For a few moments Lobo remained completely silent before finally his eyes lit up and his insufferable grin once again plastered itself to his face.

"Bad! Ass!" he cried out.

"What?" replied Raven, dumbstruck.

"That was killer," claimed the bounty hunter jumping up from his seat. "All the main man's greatest moments flashing before his eyes all at once. You mean you could do that this whole time and you never told me?"

Raven could not believe what she was hearing. Who was this guy that he actually enjoyed what was supposed to be an emotionally shattering experience.

"This can't be happening," she moaned.

"I tell you," continued Lobo, giving her a creepy smile. "I thought you were hot before, but now you're like mondo super hot."

Raven was dreading where this conversation was going when suddenly the biker was sent rocketing across the theatre, and through the screen by a bright blue energy blast. Quickly recovering, the Czarnian jumped to his feet, anger evident in his eyes.

"Alright, who's the dead man that interupted my romance?" he called out.

Looking to the back of the theatre, Lobo quickly spotted him. Thumping down the aisle came a new and improved Cyborg, complete with an upgraded power canon, and on his back, a massive power core supplying him with plenty of energy.

"Round two," hollered Cyborg before letting lose another energy blast that sent the Czarnian flying through the wall of the theatre out to the street.

"Come on, Rae, let's finish this," said Cyborg quickly. Before Raven could explain about the collar and her powers, the metallic Titan dashed after the brutish biker, leaving the empath to simply sigh in defeat.

* * *

When Cyborg got to the street he spotted Lobo pulling himself out of a pile of rubble.

"Well, well," said the bounty hunter, coughing up some dirt, and wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "So the creampuff got himself some new toys."

"That's right. And the cannons not the only thing that's new," boasted the Titan. Almost on cue, panels rearranged and snapped into place on his feet, producing a pair of thrusters that deftly propelled him into the air. "How you like them apples?"

With a quick whistle, Lobo's space hog came soaring down, swiftly knocking Cyborg out of the air, and sending him crashing into the ground.

By now Raven had followed the brawling men outside where a cycle riding Lobo came skidding up to her.

"Hey, doll, I got a little business to take care of before we continue our date. Would you wait here for me?"

"I guess it would be stupid to say, no, wouldn't it?" replied the empath, lamely pointing to the explosive collar that still clung tightly to her neck.

Lobo chuckled.

"You learn fast, sweet cheeks," he called to her as he took off into the air. "Be right back." The biker then took a hovering position above a recuperating Cyborg.

"Come and get me, geek bait," he called to the Titan before taking off.

"That son-of-a," spat Cyborg as his thrusters powered up and again launched him into the sky.

What followed was a superhuman dogfight of epic proportions. Back and forth the two powers dove, somersaulted, barrel rolled, spun, and looped, all the while exchanging volleys of energy.

As Raven watched the display from the ground, her communicator suddenly sprang to life.

"Yo, Raven, anytime you want to throw in here is fine with me," came Cyborg's crackling voice.

"Love to, Cyborg, but he's forced some weird collar on me that's messing with my powers. Oh, and it'll blow up if he presses the detonator he's carrying."

"You got to be kidding me," groaned Cyborg loudly. "Look just hang tight, I got this."

"Whoopee," answered Raven dryly.

Cyborg quickly maneuvered behind the biker and took aim. The blasts rocketed through the air, but made no contact as Lobo somehow managed to avoid every shot.

"You don't give up, do you, pal?" he called back over his shoulder.

Cyborg only smirked in response.

"Yeah, well," continued Lobo, "I got a date to finish, and I'm sick of playing with you." With that the pale thug quickly dismounted and leapt backwards through the air, landing directly on Cyborg's back.

"Hmm, really interesting design," said the biker, examining Cyborg's rocket thrusters. "But what would happen if I diiiiiiid this?" Swiftly, Lobo removed a single bolt from the thruster and leapt back onto his waiting hog.

"What, are you joking?" said Cyborg. "All you did was remove one bolt."

With the kind of timing only suitable for cartoons, Cyborg's thruster suddenly started to cough and sputter before falling off completely and sending the metal man spinning out of control.

"I don't believe this," he called out to the universe before crash-landing on the horizon far outside the city.

Snickering to himself, Lobo raced back to the movie theatre where he found Raven waiting for him, her arms crossed and an annoyed look gracing her pretty face.

"Miss me?" said Lobo smiling.

Raven offered no response, opting instead to glare coldly at the biker.

"Ah I know ya did," he answered. "Come on, I think it's time we went some place a little more…private."

* * *

"Dick, the suits are fully ready," said Starfire, soaring over to Nightwing.

"Great, lets-" the masked hero was interrupted suddenly by the ringing of his communicator. "Cyborg?" he answered questioningly

"Yeah, it's me," came the reply.

"So what's the verdict?"

"The enhancements definitely evened the odds somewhat. I got a few good shots in, but this guy's craftier then he looks."

"Noted."

"You, Star, and B should be able to handle him though."

"What about you?"

"Ah, he stranded me somewhere far outside the city. It'll take me a while to get back."

"Roger that, Cyborg."

"Man, don't talk that way, it sounds stupid."

Nightwing frowned.

"Just get back here," he grumbled before severing the connection. "Let's go, Star."

As the two heroes exited, Nightwing noticed Beast Boy still sitting in front of the main computer moniter, the look of cold determination having never left his face.

"Beast Boy, are you ready?" he called.

"I'll catch up," answered the changeling. "I got a few more I need to check out."

"Well hurry up, Raven's waiting," replied the masked man before quickly exiting.

Beast Boy's fist clenched.

"You don't have to tell me," he whispered harshly to himself.


	6. Chapter 6

Raven could feel herself becoming physically ill when she realized where the incorrigible Lobo was setting down. The day, which had started out so great, had quickly become one of the worst of her entire life, and that was really saying something. Now as the sun set over the city, she could only see things degenerating further.

The location was a peak overlooking Jump City in a lightly forested area just on the outskirts of town. As the sun set, it presented a beautiful image of the city lights. It was a place of silence and tranquility where the worries of the day just disappeared, and was known to the newly dating teenage population of Jump as "Mount Victory."

"Here we go," said Lobo, hoping off his bike. "This looks all romantic and crap." Before Raven could announce any sort of protest, the biker snatched her up and started carrying her over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. "But we're going to need something more appropriate."

Speedily Lobo leapt through the air and landed on top of one of several vehicles already parked at the peak, and with one fluid motion he plunged his hand into the roof of the car, pulling the metal back like he was opening a can of sardines.

"Alright, you geeks get lost before I tear your brainstems out and beat ya to death with'em," he barked to the two frightened teenagers inside who didn't waste a second in fleeing the vehicle. It didn't take long for the rest of the peak's occupants to notice the hulking white and black giant tearing open cars before they all took off as well. Now they were truly alone.

Lobo haphazardly plopped Raven down into the passenger seat and then planted himself behind the wheel shortly after. With a fake yawn and an over embellished stretch, the enamored Czarnian placed an arm around the her shoulder.

Raven was in a panic. She had never cared much for these clichéd teen drama situations, and the fact that she was in one with an out of control alien bounty hunter made her appreciation for them even less. For the first time since the ordeal began, she thought of Beast Boy and how she really wished he were there to help her.

"I've been waiting for this moment all night," said the pale Casanova, scooting closer.

"Well, just for kicks, how about we just keep waiting for about 60 more years," replied Raven, trying to create some distance between them.

"Ah, no you don't, sweet thing," said Lobo, wrapping his arm tightly around her. "It's time we put those pretty lips to good use."

What filled Raven's vision next was an image almost too terrible to describe. Few things in the entire universe could match the horror and the macabre that was Lobo's kissy face. His lips pursed in anticipation, appearing like two big white sausages, began slowly lowering towards her as horrifying smacking noises filled her ears. She was giving great consideration to biting her own tongue off and bleeding to death when the amorous Lobo was suddenly torn from the car by an unidentified force and sent hurdling into a series of trees.

"Raven are you unhurt?" came a familiar voice.

"Starfire?"

Looking up, Raven was relieved if not a little surprised to see both Starfire and Nightwing each decked out in sleek, yet stylish battle attire.

Nightwing's suit was a close fitting battle armor that covered him from head to tow and separated into plates at his joints, allowing him full range of motion while still providing a large degree of protection. The suit was a dark blue color and on his chest was a black bird emblem.

Starfire's outfit was much more form fitting, hugging every one of her curves like a second skin. It was the same purple color as her usual attire and had several strange oval shaped sensors going up and down her arms and legs, and across her chest and back.

"Well, you two look snazzy," said the empath climbing up and out of the car.

"Just thought I'd try out some battle armor Batman designed. It provides increased strength and durability. Star's outfit has solar energy insulators straight from Superman himself which feed her a constant stream of power.

"So this means…?"

The sound of Lobo's irritated voice cutting through the night air suddenly caught the trio's attention.

"Feetle's Gizz! Can't you goody-goody bastiches stop sticking you're super faces in my business?"

"This means we now have a fighting chance," said Nightwing.

Producing an alien metal crowbar from behind his back, the enraged Lobo charged. Nightwing took the lead meeting Lobo with a charge of his own. He quickly leveled the brute with a fierce blow to the jaw that reeled the biker, but did not take him off his feet. Before he could mount a counter offense, the masked hero battered the biker with a second blow and then a third. Lobo was rocked from the punches, but was nowhere near defeated. He blocked Nightwing's next strike and quickly brought the crowbar smashing across the heroes armor covered face, spinning him to the ground.

Just as he was ready to drive the instrument into the heart of the masked man, the bounty hunter was driven back by a super powered star bolt, which had him stumbling back several steps. Recovering he looked up in time to see a fast approaching Starfire who laid into the brute with a flurry of fists that had him backpedaling before finally being cornered against a tree. The Tameranean did not slow her assault and continued to pound away at the thug. Each hammering blow caused the huge tree to crack and bend more and more until finally the wood splintered and Lobo was driven straight through, crash landing on the other side.

Breathing heavily from the exertion, Starfire slowly floated over to the motionless Lobo. Just as she leaned down to investigate his condition, the biker leapt up and delivered a devastating blow to the golden woman's midsection, doubling her over and rushing the air from the her lungs. While she was incapacitated, Lobo snatched the woman up by the waist and swiftly drove her into the ground with a thunderous body slam. Raising his large, black boot, he was ready to send it crashing down on the red haired woman's head when several small explosions rocketed against his body.

Before the biker knew what was happening, he was secured around the arms and chest by a thick black tether and was sent swinging about the environment. His body smashed and slammed into trees and rocks as he was whipped and pulled in every direction. Recovering, he quickly shifted his weight and planted his feet in the ground, halting his movement. Straight ahead of him, he spotted Nightwing struggling to keep the tether tight.

With incredible speed, the Czarnian charged the hero and drove his skull into the gut of his rival, severely denting the armor and thoroughly knocking the wind out of him. With some effort, he flexed his muscles and snapped the tether, before snatching the masked hero up by the back of his neck.

Before the final blow could be delivered, however, he was once again driven back by a blast of blue energy.

"Round three," called a recently arrived Cyborg as he rocked the pale thug with another devastating blast from his canon. A newly recovered Starfire took her place at his side and joined in the onslaught, concentrating her star bolts into one solid blast of energy.

Lobo was sent skidding along the ground as the energy blasts ravaged his white hide. The streams of power lasted for several more seconds before the two heroes finally halted. Smoke rose up from the ground as they watched for movement of any kind from the downed Lobo.

Much to their disbelief, the Czarnain somehow managed to pull himself back to his feet. With anger shining brightly in his blood red eyes and a menacing grimace across his battered face, Lobo spat out a mouthful of blood and then leapt into the air and came crashing down on the bewildered heroes. An earth-shattering haymaker pounded Cyborg into the ground while Starfire was sent hurdling though the air by a thunderous backhand.

"When are you geeks gonna learn?" called Lobo. "No one beats the main man."

Before Lobo could continue any kind of rant or attack, a voice called out to him from behind. Turning he spotted a determined looking Beast Boy, standing tall and confident with his head held high.

"This is your last chance, pal. Let Raven go," he said.

"Well, well, if it ain't the shrimp," laughed Lobo, placing his hands on his hips. "Sorry, chump, but your little lady friends with the main man now."

Despite herself, Raven couldn't help a small feeling of relief and excitement well up inside of her at the sight of her beloved green Gar. Her relief, however, was quickly replaced by annoyance.

"Where the hell have you been?" she called out to the young man.

"Sorry, Rave," he replied, giving her a little wink. "I had to do some homework before I had what a needed to take this guy."

"Oh that's funny, little man," said Lobo, walking towards Beast Boy, pounding his fist in his palm. "You really think you can take me on?"

Beast Boy gave a smirk before responding: "Perhaps you don't know this, but I'm a shape shifter. I can turn into any animal on earth. And now thanks to the Justice League's expansive data base, I can turn into any animal in the universe."

With that, Beast Boy's mind began working over time, willing his body to shift and change, his cells to grow and multiply and transform. His size increased, his body chemistry completely rearranged itself until finally he stood before the shocked Lobo a creature of epic size and ferocity.

For those native to the planet earth, the creature most resembled what they knew as a T-Rex, though it's size was slightly greater. Six eyes adorned each side of its massive skull and a dozen or so spiked tentacles sprung out on each side of its tanker like body. Jagged spines lined its back, all the way down its tail, which ended in a boulder like club. As for color, the beast was of course Beast Boy's trademark green.

The beast let lose a terrible roar, giving a perfect view of its two rows of razor like teeth before driving its maw down at the flabbergasted Lobo who recovered from his shock just long enough to leap out of the way. No sooner had he escaped then the creature snatched the biker up in its tentacles and began squeezing the life out of him.

"You think I'm scared?" grunted Lobo. "You think the main man's scared of some backwater alien beast?"

The biker quickly drew his pistol and began unloading on the monster. Most shots seemed to bounce harmlessly off the beast's thick hide, but one blast managed to catch it in a soft spot just under its eye. The creature groaned in pain and with it's grip temporarily loosened, the biker weaseled out and leapt to the ground where Nightwing and Cyborg were just getting to their feet.

As the battle raged on, Raven watched meticulously from the sidelines. It had quickly become apparent to her that despite all of the team's upgrades, Lobo was not going to be stopped. His power was too great, and his ability to absorb punishment and keep coming back seemed insurmountable. It made her sick to know that this was all happening because of her. If only there was something she could do, but nothing seemed to have any affect. Unfortunately, Lobo was crazy for her and every little facet about her just attracted him more. Then it hit her. She knew how to put a stop to all of it.

Quickly, Raven dashed over to Starfire who was only now beginning to recover from the last attack. Conjuring up the last bit of her powers, Raven healed the Tameranean, bringing her back to one hundred percent.

"Starfire, I need your help."

Starfire looked at Raven with a puzzled expression.

"I believe that is what we are trying to do."

"I know, Starfire," said the empath, rolling her eyes. "But what I need right now is for you to go back into town and get me a few things as fast as you can."

_

* * *

_

_In case anyone's wondering, the creature that Beast Boy turns into is something of my own design though it was loosely based on a something I saw in the pages of The Planet Hulk story arc of Marvel comics (Which I strongly recommend to anybody looking for a good comic to read). Anyway, stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion._


	7. Chapter 7

The battle was becoming grimmer the longer it wore on; Raven could see it. The team was tiring with each passing second while Lobo, though he had taken his fair share of abuse, was still going strong. Raven dreaded the outcome if Starfire did not return soon.

"Raven."

The sound of the Tameranean's voice filled the empath with relief as she quickly rushed to meet the arriving woman.

"Did you get everything?"

Starfire gave a nod and presented Raven with a bag of assorted items.

"Yes, I have retrieved all you have asked for though I do not understand the purpose these objects will serve."

"You have to trust me on this, Starfire," replied Raven. "Now come help me with this stuff."

Meanwhile the battle for Raven raged on as Nightwing, Cyborg and Beast Boy traded blows with the Czarnian bounty hunter, Lobo. Nightwing blasted the brute right between the eyes with an exploding birdarang, the resulting flash of which disoriented him.

Turning into a three-eyed alien serpent of some kind, Beast Boy quickly bound Lobo's arms to his sides while Cyborg went on the attack, reigning fierce blows down on the brute's unprotected face.

However, despite everything, Lobo still could not be felled. Rearing back, he delivered a vicious head butt right between the eyes of the bionic titan, knocking him to the ground. Nightwing charged in, but got the same treatment from the always surprisingly quick Czarnian. A well-placed head butt cracked Nightwing's helmet and sent the masked hero crashing to the dirt.

"Starfire, are you finished yet?" asked Raven, impatience thick in her voice.

"Please, Raven, I wish to make sure everything is on straight," responded the Tameranean, deep in focus.

Raven sighed.

"It doesn't matter, just hurry up."

Starfire harrumphed, yet continued her work. After a few more seconds worth of finishing touches she was done.

"There," declared Starfire with a smile. "You look wonderful."

"If _you_ think so then it's perfect."

Tightening his grip, Beast Boy was doing his best to squeeze the barbaric Lobo into submission; however, the powerful brute was putting up far too much resistance. Finally, the changeling could hold on no longer and collapsed to the ground, shifting back into humanoid form. With his arms once again free Lobo quickly snatched Beast Boy up by the throat.

"Why don't you give it up, geek?"

"Never," spat Beast Boy defiantly as he struggled against Lobo's grip. "Raven means the world to me, and I'll never stop coming at you till I get her back."

"Aww, ain't that sweet," cooed Lobo. "Well I'm sorry to burst your bubble there junior, but she's my chick now."

"Why?"

"What do ya mean "why?" She' perfect; she's dark, got a badass attitude, and she's almost as cool as the main man himself."

Suddenly an irresistibly sweet, yet incredibly familiar voice rang out in the environment.

"Lobo, sweetie!" it said, dripping with sugar and adoration.

Turning to see the owner of the voice caused Lobo to be struck speechless. Beast Boy, who hung in Lobo's vice like grip for a moment before being dropped to the ground, was struck equally silent. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He could have sworn it was Raven, and yet there was no way this could be his beloved empath.

She wore a plaid, navy blue skirt that was so short he was certain there had to be laws against it. Her upper torso was decorated with a white, form-fitting blouse, topped with a bright red bow across her chest, as if suggesting she were a magnificent present. Finally, her beautiful violet hair was tied to either side of her head in equal lengthed pigtails. It was a look that Beast Boy was all too familiar with though he never thought in his wildest dreams that he'd ever see his Raven, his Azerathean goddess wearing such an outfit. Yet here she was. Raven of the Teen Titans was dressed up as a Japanese schoolgirl.

Digging her brown and white penny loafers into the dirt in a most adorable fashion, Raven shot Lobo a brilliant smile.

"Oh Lobokins," she cooed, bounding up to him and folding her hands behind her back. "Aren't you almost done?"

"Hey, hey, what's going on here?" said a genuinely confused Lobo backing away a few steps. "What's with the getup?"

"Huh?" said Raven, tilting her head to the side while making a cute squeaking noise. "This is how I always dress, silly."

"But what happened to the cool cloak, and the black thing?"

Beast Boy nearly had a heart attack when Raven responded to Lobo's question with the sweetest giggle he'd ever heard in his life.

"You big dope," she said. "That was just my superhero disguise. This is how I really am. I just act all dark and mean, so no one suspects a thing when I go out in public. Isn't that clever?"

"Uh yeah."

The empath let loose another giggle.

"But now I don't need the disguise anymore cause you're here to rescue me."

With an excited cheer, Raven leapt into the biker's arms and threw her arms around his neck.

"Uh, yeah," replied Lobo, uneasily.

"Oh, but that outfits gonna have to go. I can't have my Loby Woby wearing something so dreadful. How about a nice blazer or a cardigan?"

Lobo did not like this, but before he could speak a word to the contrary, the schoolgirl Raven suddenly thrust an adorable stuffed puppy in his face.

"And look what I found," she said excitedly before giving the toy a big hug. "Isn't he just the cutest?"

Raven was surprised to suddenly find herself on her rear end, looking up at the biker.

"Lobo, what's wrong?" she asked with hurt shining in her eyes.

"Uh, listen this just ain't gonna work out for me," said the Czarnian scratching his neck. "I just remembered I got a contract waiting for me in…sector…12? and I'm gonna be busy and stuff, so I gotta go."

With a quick whistle, Lobo's bike came zooming up to him and he swiftly mounted up.

"But aren't you going to take me with you?" asked Raven following him.

"Look," snapped the biker. "We had a good run. Don't ruin things by making this awkward."

Pressing a button on a remote from his jacket pocket caused the explosive collar still around Raven's neck to beep and then release into Lobo's waiting hand.

"But-" began the empath.

"Jeez would ya give it a rest already. Man this planet bites. Nothing but annoying geeks in tight spandex and clingy women. It'll be a cold day in hell before the main man comes back here again."

With that, Lobo took off straight up into the air, soaring further and further away until he finally disappeared from sight.

Once he was gone, Raven breathed a sigh of relief. After taking a moment to revel in the success of her plan she turned to face her fellow Titans. What she found could best be described as a group of Titan looking statues. Except for Starfire, all of her teammates were frozen in place with their mouths gaping open, completely stunned by what they had seen and heard.

"What?" replied Raven plainly.

When no answer was forthcoming, she again responded: "What?"

* * *

Later on, after Raven had gotten the opportunity to change back into her normal attire, she explained to everyone all that had happened. She told them what she had learned at the restaurant, about Lobo just being a no-good bounty hunter looking for a runaway crook, and though Nightwing still felt the thug had charges to face, Raven managed to convince him that letting this one go was for the best. Fighting Lobo caused too much collateral damage. It was best to just leave him to his own devices and hope that if he came to your planet, he didn't stay long.

It had been a very, very long day and Raven was looking forward to just relaxing. So, with a good book in hand Raven did just that. She had been reading for about a half an hour when she was alerted to the sound of the common room doors swishing open.

"Hey, Rave," came Beast Boy's voice as he plopped down in the seat next to her and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Hello, Gar," she replied.

She could tell right away that something was wrong, and she felt she knew exactly what. It had kind of been an emasculating day for Beast Boy and she was certain he felt a little down.

"Well, I guess you were right," said the changeling after a pause.

"About what?"

"You clearly don't need any knight in shinning armor to rescue you from any monster," replied the changeling, giving her a small smile. "You got out of that situation, no problem. You probably even saved my butt in the process."

Raven gave the young man a smirk.

"Yeah, but that's nothing new."

Beast Boy gave a little nod in response.

"Gar, you need to stop being so ridiculous. We're a team, we all help each other, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

Putting her book down, Raven placed a loving hand on Beast Boy's cheek.

"And you know it really means a lot to me personally to know I always have your support."

"Yeah?" replied the changeling, a little hopeful.

"Of course. I'd do anything to get back to you, Gar. Even put on a ridiculous outfit and embarrass myself in front of the entire team."

Gently taking the green man's face in her hands, she leaned in and placed a tender kiss on his lips.

"Heh, heh, wow," chuckled Beast Boy scooting closer to his woman and placing an arm around her, which she happily accepted. "You're the best, Rave."

"I know," she said.

A moment of comfortable silence passed between them before Beast Boy spoke again.

"Uh, incidentally, you wouldn't happen to still have that schoolgirl outfit would you?"

_Smack!_

"Never mind."

* * *

The X7 rest stop was great place for travelers passing through the quadrant to stop and fuel up their ships or catch a quick bite to eat. This is where the hapless alien found himself now. He didn't know how he had gotten so lucky, but he had somehow managed to reach his ship and escape the planets atmosphere all without running into his pursuer. He still wasn't sure what the device that was stuck on the back of his neck did, but that didn't matter. Within the next hour he'd make the jump to hyperspace and be clear across the galaxy, where he'd find a new place to lay low.

"What can I get for you, sugar?" asked the purple waitress behind the diner.

"I just got a few minutes while I gas up, what's ready?"

"The space soup or the space special."

After thinking for a moment, he ordered the special.

The ringing of a bell alerted him to a new entrant to the diner. He gave it no thought until he heard a deep familiar voice.

"Hey there, Jendy."

The alien's eyes went wide and he went completely still.

"You didn't think I'd forgotten about you, did you?"

* * *

_Well that's my story. I hope you enjoyed it. If you didn't, that's okay. Though I'm kinda surprised you'd read this far if you didn't like it. Well, anyway, I've still got a few ideas kicking around in my head, so you'll definitely be hearing from me again. Till then. - Sir Alwick_


End file.
